


Golden Hour Sunshine

by The_lgbt_bookworm



Category: Dream SMP - Fandom, Minecraft (Video Game)
Genre: Flower Crowns, Fluff, Golden Hour, M/M, Midnight drabbles, Photography, Touch-Starved, karlnap, more midnight writing
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-28
Updated: 2021-02-28
Packaged: 2021-03-16 16:01:46
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,746
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29578581
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/The_lgbt_bookworm/pseuds/The_lgbt_bookworm
Summary: Sapnap is a photographer, and for the longest time, he’s wanted to do a photo shoot at golden hour, wanting the sunshine, wanting the warmth. But he couldn’t find anyone who would do the shoot with him. Until Karl told him that he’d do the photo shoot.The sunlight is as dazzling as he knew it would be, but he finds himself more awestruck by Karl’s presence than by the golden sun.
Relationships: Karl Jacobs/Sapnap, Sapnap/Karl Jacobs
Comments: 1
Kudos: 22





	Golden Hour Sunshine

**Author's Note:**

> Ahhh here I am writing more Karlnap fanfiction at unearthly hours of the morning. This is apparently when I get my inspiration lol 
> 
> Anyway, Sapnap is an aspiring photographer and his big project, a golden hour shoot is within reach when Karl tells him he likes the idea. 
> 
> I’m so soft for these boys you don’t understand. But enjoy!!!
> 
> Also important to note!! I’m writing about the Minecraft skins, not the actual streamers!!

Finally. Finally he was able to meet up with Karl. Finally he was able to set up a time for a sunset photo shoot, something that has been on his bucket list for a long time. 

As a young photographer, Sapnap longed to capture the aesthetic that golden hour provided, leaving his photos glowing gold, shining like they were made with stars. But he hadn’t ever found someone that he’d want to take pictures with. Or someone that would take pictures with him. 

But then his friend had told him he’d do the photo shoot and Sapnap was ecstatic, planning for the shoot with an excited fervor he hadn’t realized he’d had. 

Today was the day. Today was the day that he’d finally get to see his image captured in the evening sun, and his model for the day, Karl, couldn’t have looked prettier, dressed in a soft gray button down shirt tucked loosely into his jeans. 

He looks up from his set up, his hands freezing on the height dial of his tripod to catch a glance of Karl sitting in the ankle-high grass, holding a small wildflower in his hands. 

Sapnap finds himself smiling softly and he looks back down to his camera before Karl can catch him staring. 

He doesn’t know why the idea of Karl sitting among a field of little flowers makes him so happy, but when he looks up again, his tripod set finally, his smile widens because Karl has tucked a small flower stem behind his ear. 

“That’s such a cute sight! Hold still okay?” He says warmly, adjusting his camera slightly to catch the golden rays around Karl’s position before he clicks a few photos. 

He steps around his camera and his smile widens when Karl looks up at him. “Okay for this next one, I want you to lay down in the grass, with one hand above your head,” Sapnap helps position Karl, his fingers brushing Karl’s softly, and he pulls away quickly, his cheeks red in the golden lighting. 

When he looks back, Karl is blushing too. 

He tilts his head, sticking his tongue out slightly in thought before he nods in satisfaction. “Just like that. And what I’m going to do here...” he continues to ramble, explaining the details of this shot. 

Sapnap knew they didn’t have a lot of time before the golden look that shone like fire around him would be over and the sun would begin it’s gentle descent behind the hills. 

He grabs his camera, and a separate handful of flower petals, holding them gently in one hand so he wouldn’t crush them and stands over Karl carefully. 

“I just need you smile okay? Like you’re on the verge of laughing for this one.” He readies his camera and drops the flower petals from his other hand as slowly as he could manage, trying to keep them in the frame. 

Oh he really really likes how this one turns out. He smiles wide and turns the camera around to show Karl’s soft smile, his eyes a striking blue against the lighting, watching the flower petals suspended in mid air above him. 

It was a beautiful photo. One that Sapnap would cherish for years to come. But he still has a few more ideas before he wraps up the shoot, almost forgetting to thank Karl again for letting him do this. 

“Hey, Karl, thanks again dude for agreeing to this. It’s been my dream for a golden hour photo shoot.” He speaks softly, focusing on his set up for the next shot.

He gestures quickly for Karl to stand up, and he does, facing him, his arms dangling loosely at his sides and Sapnap has to take a moment to admire the man with the sun setting behind him. 

It’s a perfect shot. 

“Just stand as naturally as you want, I’m going to be taking quite a few pictures in this spot.” He lines up the camera and waits for Karl to choose a position. 

Sapnap is trying not to focus on how fast his heart is beating right now. He’s trying not to focus on how beautiful Karl looks, almost shrouded in warm, in gold. He busies himself with settling the tripod to hide his speechlessness and his face, flushed red yet again. 

_This man has no business being this pretty._ There, he’d said it. He had no business making Sapnap’s heart flutter in his chest. 

He snaps the photo, capturing the candid moment before it seemed too posed. He takes a few more and Karl follows, choosing different stances and Sapnap loses his ability to think correctly each time. 

“You look like a king in this lighting,” he says, his voice soft as he skims through the set of photos he’s just taken, deleting the ones that were blurry. 

“Hmm? What’d you say?” He hears Karl ask from across him and Sapnap inhales sharply. He hadn’t meant to say that out loud, but luckily Karl wasn’t listening too close. 

He chuckles in a way that makes it seem like the nervousness he was experiencing didn’t exist. “Oh nothing, really. I was talking to myself.” 

Karl nods, and sits back down in the grass, twirling yet another flower stem between his thumb and forefinger, and Sapnap takes a quick photo, admiring how deep in thought the other man looks. 

He steps back and nods at the horizon, watching the sunlight change from the beautiful golden tint to a dull yellow as the sun finally started to set. 

Sapnap starts to put his equipment away, trying not to focus on the racing of his heart as he accidentally clicks to a random picture of Karl he’s taken throughout the photo shoot, and he has to pause again. 

Karl is smiling in this photo, and it’s a genuine smile, wrinkling the corners of his eyes and Sapnap realizes that Karl is smiling at him. Not at the camera, posed for a shot, but at him alone. 

He decides quickly that this is his favorite photo that he took today and makes quick work of the tripod, much faster than he’d set it up, earning a little laugh from Karl, who he hadn’t realized was watching him work. 

“In such a hurry to leave, Sapnap?” He hears Karl say and he sighs softly at how his name sounds coming from the other man’s mouth. 

“No, just want to make sure I get it done, you know?” 

“That can wait. Come sit in the grass with me.” 

Sapnap blinks and sets the tripod down in the bed of his truck, leaving the case open and joins Karl on the ground, trailing his fingers through the wildflowers surrounding him. 

“It’s nice to just relax, you know? Enjoy the sunlight and the flowers and the breeze and each other’s company,” Karl says and Sapnap can’t help but agree. 

He smiles softly and nods, looking now for several flowers with longer stems, giggling softly at his plan. 

He can feel Karl looking at him, curiosity brightening the pretty gray. Sapnap looks up from his work to meet his eyes and can’t help but break into a big smile that crinkles the corners of his eyes. 

Sapnap looks back down to his impromptu flower crown and nods in satisfaction. 

“I need to you close your eyes okay?” He asks softly, his voice barely above a whisper, not meant for anyone but Karl. 

Karl nods and closes his eyes, a small giggle escaping his lips at the idea of Sapnap’s surprise and they were both suddenly nostalgic of the scene. 

He rests the flower crown on top of Karl’s curls gently, and holds his hands out, hoping it would stay where he wanted. After a moment, he nods and backs up to grab his camera again, wanting one last picture before the sun was completely set. 

“Can I open my eyes yet, Sap?” He hears Karl ask from behind his camera and at first, Sapnap shakes his head. “No, not quite yet.” And it was evident he was smiling, unable to keep the pure happiness from his voice. 

He sits down in front of Karl almost at a diagonal and takes a few photos, admiring each one for a second longer before he tells Karl he can open his eyes. And when he does, Sapnap has to take a breath to avoid the gasp of pure awe. 

The setting sun had caught the gray of Karl’s eyes at just the perfect angle to illuminate them. He was close enough he could see soft flecks of white among the stunning blue-gray and he was mesmerized. 

“Your eyes are beautiful...” he says, not realizing he was speaking aloud. 

Karl blinks slowly and his laughter pauses. “You think so?” He runs a hand through his hair and Sapnap watches him catch the soft stems of the flower crown nestled in his curls, watches him smile softly and leave the impromptu crown where it was. 

Sapnap flushes a bright red, his eyes darting away from the other man immediately. He hadn’t meant to say that out loud. He absolutely hadn’t meant to say that out loud. 

He clears his throat and looks back to Karl’s beautiful eyes again. “I- I do, yes. You’re just a beautiful man in general, I think.” 

_You’re not helping your case, Sapnap._

He sighs and sets his camera down in his lap gently, resting his face in his hands, able to feel how hot his cheeks are. 

They both grow quiet for a minute and Sapnap can hear shuffling in front of him, but he doesn’t look up to see what Karl is doing. He’s honestly not sure why he’s so distraught at admitting that Karl is pretty, but he is for some reason. 

When he speaks again, his voice is muffled by his palms. “I-just ignore I said that, okay? It’s getting late and I gotta take you back to your place so I can get these photos uploaded to my computer.” 

He feels a soft touch on his chin, making him look up the ground. Sapnap follows the motion, his hands falling into his lap as he feels Karl’s mouth on his own. 

Sapnap hesitates, his brain freezing up for a moment, trying to process what was happening. Karl was kissing him. Karl was kissing him and he was sitting here dumbstruck like an idiot. 

_Kiss him back you idiot._

That was probably a good idea. He kisses Karl back gently, his lips tingling and his brain full of static and wild thoughts. 

But despite all the chaos in his thoughts, he knew one thing for certain. It was the one thing he could focus on that wasn’t how gentle Karl was being with him. 

He was kissing Karl Jacobs and he liked it. He liked it more than he cared to admit, but maybe that wasn’t a bad thing that he did. His entire being was electrified, from the ends of his hair to his fingertips. And it was radiating from the heat against his mouth and he felt alive. 

He pulls away, breathless in more ways than one and is instantly brought back in by the look Karl has on his face. 

The other man is watching him with the same awestruck, open-mouthed glance Sapnap is sure he has and he’s struck with the intense feeling to kiss him again, and so he does, pulling Karl to him again gently, basking in the warmth of the sun and the heat of affection. 

And then Karl’s hands are on his face, holding him so softly Sapnap almost cries, but he doesn’t and leans into the gentle touch, his skin on fire where Karl’s fingers meet his skin. 

When they separate again, Karl moves Sapnap’s camera out of his lap and they both fall back into the grass side by side, looking up at the sky giving way to faint stars painted on a navy blue canvas. 

Sapnap looks over at Karl, who’s lost in the decoration of stars in the sky. He can’t help but smile, feeling giddy like a teenage boy. He’d kissed Karl Jacobs and it was amazing. 

He focuses onto Karl again, admiring the man’s elegant side profile. The slight curve of his jawline, the bridge of his nose, the gentle glare of the fading sunlight on his gray eyes. Karl Jacobs was a masterpiece. 

He reaches up to feel his mouth with two fingers, craving the electric sensation again. Craving the absolute adrenaline that rushes through him. 

He is drawn from his thoughts when Karl reaches and points abruptly towards the sky, where the constellations are easier to see with the final disappearance of the sun. 

Sapnap follows his pointing and takes note of the gathering of stars the other man is pointing to and he smiles. 

_Cassiopeia._

“They’re definitely beautiful...it’s hard to imagine that those stars are still shining for us, even if they’re forever away, far out of our reach.” Sapnap’s voice is soft and full of affection that he isn’t trying to hide anymore. 

Finally Karl looks over at him and Sapnap swears he’s holding the galaxy in his eyes. “That’s true, space is an interesting section of our life, isn’t it?” 

All Sapnap can do is nod, awestruck once again. Karl is still looking at him and he’s got a gentle smile on his face and he’s struck with the realization that they’ve been in this wildflower field for the better part of two hours. 

Sapnap wouldn’t change that for the world. 

Karl still has the small crown in his hair and he can’t help but grin, happy it’s stayed for this long. It accents Karl’s outfit and adds a bit of color and Sapnap loves it. 

He sits up with a long stretch, feeling his back muscles ache from the strain. It jolts him back to reality a little bit and Sapnap frowns slightly. 

“We should get going soon. There is about an hour’s drive back to town and I gotta put all this up and away,” he says, gesturing to the various camera tools scattered around them. 

Karl nods and sits up himself, his neck craned back to keep the stars in his sights for as long as he can. “That’s fair. But you gotta promise to blast the radio on the way back. Car karaoke I think yes!” 

And he’s giggling again and Sapnap is smiling and the evening is warm and this moment couldn’t get any more perfect. 

He moves himself into a standing position and offers Karl a callused hand, helping the man up before he collects his camera and the tripod and closes the case, putting everything in the truck behind his seat. 

He knew it would be a long ride home, but he had enough energy and adrenaline to keep him awake for much longer. 

He turns the key in the engine as Karl slides into the passenger seat of his truck and reaches up to take the crown off with gentle fingers. 

Sapnap watches, his cheeks flushing a pale red when Karl rests the crown on his head, the soft white flowers standing out easily from his black hair. 

When he pulls out of the empty field, eyes focused on the dark road in front of him, his attention is drawn back to the present at the hesitant touch of Karl’s fingers covering his own when he shifts gears. 

He turns his hand over and laces his fingers with Karl’s, smiling softly before he looks back to the road, the radio playing some random pop song he didn’t care know the words to. 

As he drives, his mind drifts to the events of his little photo shoot, a project he’d wanted to do since he had first gotten into photography. 

And here he is, holding Karl’s hand, wearing a flower crown after accomplishing his dream of the famed golden hour lighting. 

When he reaches the highway, the windows are rolled down and the cool evening breeze rushes in over his skin and the drive home is a blur, and he realizes he doesn’t want the night to end. 

But as he drops Karl off at his doorstep, he knows it isn’t. He knows it isn’t because he’ll get to see the other man again, and that singular thought fills his mind on the way home, sending him to bed with a soft smile. 

He gets to see Karl again.

**Author's Note:**

> I kind of want to make this into a series? 
> 
> Comments? Opinions? Suggestions?


End file.
